THE SUPERCOMPUTER ERA

Sidney Kann and Noms Parker Smith.
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Cambridge,
MA, 1987. 313 pp. $19.95.

Supercomputers are not new. They have been in existence since the invention of computers. Today, however, they have become indispensable tools at the cutting edge of science and technology. They enable scientists to solve problems and develop new technologies for tomorrow’s industry, affecting national employment patterns, wealth and national security.

Until recently the manufacture of supercomputers was the preserve of the United States. The Japanese entry into the market early in 1983 sent shockwaves throughout U.S. industry and government. Spurred on by media hype and $200 million in funding from the National Science Foundation, new centers at American universities are enabling researchers in science and industry to exploit the enormous power of supercomputers.

Of the 17 supercomputer centers recently set up in the United States, the National Science Foundation is able to...

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